Jack (Chapter)
Jack is the 66th chapter of Jun Mochizuki's Pandora Hearts. Synopsis Break and Rufus had just finished fighting, Break has disarmed Rufus and pinned him down to a tree while Gilbert is heard screaming in the background. Rufus laughs at Gilbert's screams as he knew that it meant that Glen's head had come out of the Seal, instead of Jack's and the only reason he knew this was because a few days beforehand Rufus had fully completed deciphering Arthur Barma's journal. Rufus explains that the journal revealed to him the truth of the Tragedy of Sablier and who Jack Vessalius really was. Oz lies down with pain inside of his head, while it appears Jack is still in control. Jack asks if it's because Oz is tired or if he's looking at Jack's real memories... ...Lacie asks if Jack will catch a cold by sleeping in an alley when its winter. Jack introduces himself to Lacie after she had done the same, she decides he has a plain name, which confuses Jack. Lacie then explains that she had run away from home after getting into a disagreement with someone named Oswald, and that she would not return until he apologized. Jack, still confused about Lacie's actions, wasn't paying attention and when Lacie asked him if he was he simply said that he didn't care about what she was talking about. Lacie asks Jack why he was talking that way when there's probably a lot of questions that he'd consider asking her. Lacie attempts starting up a conversation as to why she was wearing a summer dress in the middle of winter, something which Jack actually was wondering. Lacie says that it is because it's so cold out that she could die, she then proceeds to join Jack, sitting with him in his blanket in the alley. Jack tells her to get out, asking Lacie what she thinks she was doing, this made Lacie excited because finally Jack had asked her something. Lacie then asked if Jack was taking an interest in her. Jack is unresponsive as he finds himself getting lost in Lacie's red eyes. Lacie then explains how she is "the cause of misfortune" because of her red eyes and she asks Jack if that scares him a little, though she notices Jack's not paying attention again. Jack himself is remembering people appalled by him for being a child born out of wedlock. His mother then comes to him and tells him that finally he's starting to look like his father did, which makes her happy. Jack's mother then started hysterically wondering why Jack's father had not come back to her, that she had been waiting all these years because he had told her that he loved her before he left. Jack looks back up and finds Lacie, who's apparently just returned, though Jack hadn't noticed her leave. Lacie tells Jack that she got them some food, so they were going to eat together, but when she elaborated, she revealed that she had told the shop keeper about their situation, hoping that he'd take pity on them and give them food, but he didn't, so Lacie stole some food, a scarf, a spoon, clothes and a pair of scissors. Lacie had proceeded with cutting Jack's hair when she asks if he was related to the Vessaliuses in some way. Jack is shocked and asks her how she could know that. Lacie explained that Jack had something with the Vessalius Family Crest on it wrapped around his wrist. Jack tells Lacie that it's a memento from his mother and Lacie tells him to keep his head straight. Jack tells Lacie that his mother had told him that he had noble blood running through his veins, but Lacie figured out that he was the some of a mistress by how darkly he said it. Jack explained that his mother was stupid, and has spent her life believing that Jack's father would come back like he said he would, she can't se e that it was a lie and had since then gone insane. Lacie asked Jack if he hated his father, and he said that he did, but he also hated his mother and everyone else around him, though now he'd become indifferent and realized that he really never had anything in the first place. Lacie hits Jack with the scissors for saying this, making his ear bleed. Lacie told Jack that he's cute when his face is all scrunched up in pain and she licked the cut on Jack's ear. Jack blushes, which Lacie also found cute, she then told Jack that him having nothing was a lie. Lacie then begins leading Jack, with his new haircut, through the crowds of Sablier. Lacie explains to Jack that resigning himself strictly to existing wasn't enough. If he was hungry, then eat, if he didn't have money, steal. Lacie then told Jack that he had a pretty face and that he could probably sell his body if he wanted because he could handle it. Jack finds the idea outrageous, and Lacie asks him why. Jack explains that prostitution is a dirty job, and once again Lacie asks why, and that she'd only accept a well thought out answer because even if the answers the same, thinking through the "whys" is important too. Lacie explains that she hates common sense because a person needs to be able to view things from every angle, with both harshness and humor a person could see how beautiful the world really is. Lacie then begins singing her favorite tune, which Jack describes as sorrowful. Lacie once again grabs onto Jack and leads him through Sablier, though not noticing that the two were being watched. It starts raining as the two head into the woods just outside of Sablier. Jack is on the ground, held down by one of the men who was watching them in Sablier, Lacie is being held up by the neck by the other. It appears that the two men had jumped them when they had gone into the woods. Jack is slightly injured. The men are traffickers, the one who has Jack pinned down tells his colleague not to hurt Lacie because she is a "child of misfortune" and therefor valuable because they are favorite among the rich. Lacie looks at the man who's holding her and she tells him that he reeks and that he has an ugly face, catching Jack and the traffickers off-guard. The trafficker throws Lacie, and she explains that because their location "leaked out" that she wasn't going to use her powers, but she will now because they had hurt Jack. Lacie summons dozens of chains as an unknown Chain's silhouette appears over her, which she uses to slaughter the traffickers. Lacie then begins laughing hysterically, but she soon starts singing and dancing in the blood raining down over top of her. Jack is clearly stunned by what he had just seen. Suddenly, three Baskervilles surround Lacie. One of the Baskervilles was relieved to have found Lacie, because her leaving without Glen's permission was prohibited, plus, she had used her chain. Lacie laughs and shrugs it off, the Baskerville then informs her that Oswald apologizes, so she can come home now and stop with her foolishness. This makes Lacie smile, she then walks over to Jack and tells him that the two of them have to part ways now, even though it is a shame. She tells him that it's okay, because if they really wanted to meet again, then they will again someday, and so Lacie tells Jack not to forget the name 'Baskerville'. Lacie hugs Jack and gives him one of her earring before leaving. Jack is still in shock, but manages to reach out after Lacie when she and the Baskervilles left, he then collapsed. Jack continuously thinks about how he didn't care about anything until he met Lacie and how he wants to see her again... Over a long period of time (long enough for Jack to grow his hair back out) Jack has been able to make himself a reputation, and is now introduced to women at social gatherings as Jack, of the Vessalius Household, meaning that he had taken Lacie's advice to sell his body for money, because he would resort to anything if it meant seeing her once more. Characters in order of appearance * *Lacie's Chain * }} Terms Trivia * Alternate title: -On A Snowy Day- *This chapter introduces Lacie's personality, which seems to mirror the Will of the Abyss'. *This is the first time Oswald was mentioned, his name possibly foreshadowing a connection to Oz Vessalius. *Jack never took off Lacie's earring after receiving it, even as a fragmented spirit within Oz's body. *Jack looks exactly like Oz after Lacie cut his hair. Navigation Category:Manga